Weft-replenishing mechanism for looms.



No. 69|,043. Patented m. l4, i902.

c. & e. BRUN. I

WEFT BEPLENISHING MECHANISM FOR LDOMS.

(Application filed July 18, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet i.

/w 6W'/ j N0. 69|,043. A Patented Ian. I4, m2. 0. a a. BRUN.

WEFT REPLENISHING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

' (Application filed July 18, 1899.)

- (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

lUNrrnn States Patent Urrion.

CAMILLE BRUN AND GUSTAVE BRUN, OF ST. ETIENNE, FRANCE.

WEFT REPLENISHING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 691 ,043, dated January 14, 1902. Application filed July 18, 1899. Serial No. 724,283. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, OAMILLE BRUN and GUSTAVE BRUN, citizens of-the Republic of France, residing at St. Etienne, in the department of Loire, France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Weft-Replenishing Mechanism for Looms; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to mechanism for the continuous feed of weft-thread; and it consists of an automatic shuttle drop-box which is applicable to all kinds of power-looms, and particularly to those having superimposed shuttles.

We will now describe our invention as applied to a loom with two superposed shuttles, our invention being limited to the part of the driver or lay carrying the shuttle-boxes and to the left part of such driver. In the acv companying drawings the well-known parts of the loom are omitted in order to show alone the whole of the invention.

In order that our invention may be the better understood, we will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings and to the letters marked thereon.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of our device in working position with the side of the boxes removed for the sake of clearness. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional elevation at the arrow f in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a back elevation of the same device in the working position of Fig. 1 with shuttle-magazine omitted. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of our device as seen at the moment when the replacing of one shuttle by another is taking place. Fig. 5 illustrates the mechanism for giving vertical movement to the shuttle-box.

In all the drawings the same letters refer to the same parts in the various figures.

Our invention consists, essentially, of a mechanism which will replace in a loom one shuttle of which the thread has just broken or is on the point of being used up by ashut- This rebin which we have devised and for which we i have been granted United States Patent No. 648,547, dated May 1, 1900, or by any other motion whatever. This method of changing the shuttles before the shuttle-thread is entirely exhausted is used in order to avoidthe production of the loose ends of weft-thread, which are almost always produced in ordinary kinds of looms. The magazine is supported at its top from the loom'frame. All that is necessary is that this preliminary or starting motion should cause the vertical movement of the lever which operates our replacing device through its connection with the upright bar L, on which the movable parts are supported. This action can be produced in many ways. As an example we may cite the well-known mechanism for changing the shuttles of looms having two or several shuttles, and this mechanism will enter into movement at the time of breaking or just before the end of a weft-thread is unwound, but always at the moment of a foul and when the opposite fly-card drives the shuttle toward our drop-box. The upward movement of the boxes does not present anything new, this taking place in the case of boxes with several shuttles; but, as will be seen, it is made to enter into action only at the moment when it is needed to operate the exchange of a full shuttle for an empty one, and we will confine ourselves exclusively within the limits of the parts constituting our invention. This is composed of three essential parts: first, a magazine containing'shuttles wound with weft-thread and which feed the shuttle-box second, the shuttle-box, and, third, a device for disengagement and caus ing the discharge of an empty shuttle immediately followed by the arrival of the full shuttle from the loom.

The only novelty presented by the magazine is the means for discharging the shuttles, which will be described. The magazine is composed of two adjacent frames R R, between which the full shuttles N are filed up in reserve in readiness to escape below. The

shuttles are maintained in position by the lower shuttle, which is supported near its points on the two lower pins g of the releasing device. This double frame is fixed on the driver, with which it moves, its lower part being pivoted at the sides on the two pivots p p.

The shuttle-box is composed of three parts directly superposed one above another, the principal one of which is the middle one, A, which forms the ordinary box for the working shuttle N. The upper part B communieates directly and without an intermediate partition with the part A and constitutes a simple directing-passage to guide the replacing shuttle when. it is just replacing in box A the one which has just disappeared from the third compartment 0, as is afterward described. The compartment C, which is exactly below the first, has no communication with the intermediate one, of which the ledge s is under ordinary working conditions on the same level as the ledge s of the driver. The bottom of this compartment 0 is open in order to allow the empty shuttle to escape. This shuttle falls in a box D in com munication with compartment 0 and slides outside the loom down the inclined plane which closes the lower part of this box, as is shown in Fig. 1. The whole of this system of superposed boxes is connected with the upright bar L and partakes of the various upward and downward movements thereof imparted to it by the lever K. A bar L is fixed to the bar L by bolt Z and carries on its upper part a piece 6 of the shape shown in Fig. 2, ending in an inclined plane 6, which in its upward movement will have direct action on the successive disengagements of the wound shuttles.

To the left and right of the distributingframe is a duplicate arrangement of pins g g, joined in pairs and capable of moving horizontally in guides in the frames R B. Each pair is fixed to a small lever g pivoted at its center 0. These two levers are connected to one another by a rod 1?, reaching the breadth of the frame and attached at each end to a rearwardly extending arm on each lever. The rod receives an impulse from the inclined plane 6' of the piece 6. The springs h h reestablish the position of the pieces when they have discharged their functions.

The mechanism for raising the shuttle-box is shown in Fig. 5. It comprises ashaft carrying a cam M, which periodically lifts a lever S, pivoted to the frame F and imparting a reciprocating motion to the side V. A pivoted hook W is arranged near the slide and carries a pin T, which by means of a spring serves to hold the hook normally out of the path of the slide. When the shuttle in the lay X is nearly exhausted, it actuates a tripping device, as fully set forth in our patent aforesaid, which strikes the pin T and forces the hook over into the path of the slide, the next upward movement of which lifts the hook, and with it the lever K, to which the rod L is pivoted. The result of the lifting of the rod or bar L is that the three parts 0 A B rise a determined amount and the compartment 0 occupies the place previously filled by the box A in order to receive the shuttle which must leave the loom. (See Fig. 4.) This compartment being open below, the shuttle would fall immediately, but would disturb the movements. In order to avoid this, the bars L L on rising carry with them the horizontal plate P, which by means of two lugs M, Fig. 3, engages with two inclined piecesjj. When the plate P rises with the bars L L and the boxes 0 A B, the lugs it" slide upward on the stationary inclined rods jj, thereby causing the plate P to move toward the boxes, and sliding in a slit in the driver the plate just closes the lower part of the compartment 0. At the same moment the inclined plane e acting on the rod t raises it, and this movement causes the disengagement of the lower pin g, which liberates the bottom shuttle of the supply in the frame, and the shuttle on falling traverses the guide 13 and takes the place of the preceding shuttle in box A. During this time, however, the upper pins g, on the contrary, become engaged with another shuttle and support in their turn the supply of shuttles. Immediately the preceding movements are effected reverse movements take place. The bars L L descend again, the plate P returns to its first position, and the shuttle in compartment 0, being no longer supported, falls into the space D and leaves the loom in the direction of the arrow. The box A takes its normal position again, and the new shuttle is ready to receive the impulse from the fiy-cord. The inclined plane 6 on redescending liberates the rod 15. Consequently the pins g by means of the springreaction relieve and take the place of the pins g and again support until the next cycle of movements the supply of shuttles of the magazine. The whole of this cycle of distribution and replac ing must necessarily take place in the short space of time of two strokes of the driver, so as not to produce any loose ends, a fault which must be done away with.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said invention and in what manner the same is to experiment, we declare that what we claim is 1. In a loom, the combination with a magazine of superposed shuttles, of a shuttle-box containing three superposed compartments, the upper and middle ones being in communication, but the lower one permanently cut off from the middle one, means for feeding a full shuttle down into the middle compart ment, means for discharging the empty shuttle from the lower compartment, and a Vertically-movable bar carrying said shuttle-box and provided with means for operating said feeding and releasing device.

2. In a loom, the combination with a shut tle-box having three superposed compartments, the upper and middle ones being in inclined bar moving with said box for operating said lever and pins to release a shuttle from the magazine, a sliding plate for the shuttle-box, and a fixed inclined element engaging with and operating said plate when the box rises and falls.

In testimony whereof We affix our signatures in presence of two Witnesses.

CAMILLE BRUN. GUSTAVE BRUN.

"Witnesses:

Gnnon'r GERUND, B ENOIT SANTIER. 

